Conventionally, communication systems for the hearing impaired include a variety of communication devices and services. By way of example, Sorenson Communications® offers the ntouch® VP videophone and the VP-200 videophone that utilize the Sorenson Video Relay Service,® a service that provides sign language interpretation to hearing impaired video phone users.
FIG. 1 is a simplified block diagram of a conventional communication system for the hearing impaired 100. The conventional communication system 100 includes one or more communication devices 102. The conventional communication system 100 also includes one or more servers 111, which provide services to the one or more communication devices 102, such as a relay service 106.
The one or more communication devices 102 connect independently to the one or more servers 111 through a communication network 104. The one or more communication devices 102 are controlled through attached, and/or dedicated remote, control interfaces 108.
As the communication devices 102 connect independently to the one or more servers 111, a user is afforded limited flexibility. To illustrate a limitation of the conventional communication system 100, a user having a plurality of communication devices 102 in a dwelling that is participating in a call on a first communication device 102-1 must terminate the call on the first communication device 102-1, and initiate a new call on a second communication device 102-2 in order to continue the conversation on the second device. This limitation may particularly inconvenience a busy user who needs to move about the dwelling during conversations.
To illustrate another limitation of the conventional communication system 100, a user controlling a first communication device 102-1 with a first control interface 108-1 must abandon the first control interface 108-1 in favor of a second control interface 108-2, in order to control a second communication device 102-2.